Affinity Unforseen
by DeceptiveWind
Summary: A super late Ignis birthday story! My idea of why Ignis acts the way he does around Noctis with some friend fluff thrown in :D.


**AN: Yesterday was Ignis' birthday! I wanted to write something small in honor of him since he's my favorite of the four in FFXV. Hopefully you enjoy it! If so, or if not, please leave me a review. The feedback is always nice to have. Thanks!**

Ignis sat in the royal kitchen, eyes slightly out of focus as he thought about what his recipe was missing. He was determined to figure out exactly what the pastry needed but it was hard when he himself had never tasted it. He knew it was of Tenebrea, and luckily Noctis was good at recalling flavors from other dishes to compare it to, but the bespectacled man couldn't quite put his finger on what was missing.

The noise within the kitchen magnified as the King's staff entered, bustling around and getting that night's dinner started. Ignis glanced at his watch and sighed. He had already spent a good three hours here, mixing things and making notes on an old notepad he found lying around. He was surprised a certain prince hadn't bothered him already…

 _*bzz bzz*_

He smiled to himself as his phone went off in his pants pocket. Fishing it out, his smile faded when he saw that it was in fact Noctis, but the prince was telling him not to come to his room tonight.

' _Hey. Don't stop by tonight. I'm going out with some friends and won't be around."_

Ignis let out a small sigh that was drowned out by the clanking of pots and pans. To any passerby he looked completely normal, but those who knew him well would see the tiniest furrow of his brow as he re-read the message before returning the phone to its place.

 _The prince must have forgotten…._

The advisor shook his head and rubbed at his shoulders. No matter; he was sure whatever the crown prince was doing was much more important anyway. Blurred figures danced along his peripherals as he dug through pantries and cabinets. Nobody paid him any mind since he was such a normal fixture within the walls of kitchen.

The next few hours went by in a whirlwind as he mixed, baked, tasted and began again. Only when he was tapped on the shoulder by a concerned looking servant did he stop.

"Yes?"

"Sir Scientia, the King requests your presence in the throne room."

"Very well."

The portly man gave a quick bow and exited out of the empty room. Ignis sighed in defeat, washing his hands and dusting flour off his black clothes. He hadn't even noticed the staff leave…

Less than ten minutes later Ignis found himself in the throne room, bowing deeply to his king.

"Ignis! Good to see you my boy. I feel as though I am graced less and less with your presence as of late."

Ignis placed a hand on his chest and bowed his head towards the older man.

"Yes your Grace. I've been rather busy."

The king chuckled and made his way down the stairs towards the advisor. Placing a hand on his shoulder, their eyes met and Regis gave a kind smile.

"You aren't working yourself too hard are you? Isn't today – "

Ignis raised his hand then, stopping the king abruptly. Realizing what he had done, he lowered the appendage just as quickly, the smallest bit of pink coloring his cheeks.

"Forgive me your Majesty, but I am fine. No need to concern yourself with trifle matters."

Regis eyed him for a moment before patting the younger man on the shoulder.

"Very well then. Oh, have you seen Noctis today? Nobody can seem to track him down at the moment."

"No Sir. Shall I go looking for him?"

The king waved his hand in the air as he turned around and made his way back towards the throne.

"No, no need for that. I'm sure he will turn up later. Have a good evening Ignis."

Ignis bowed deeply again before turning on his heel and marching out of the room. He couldn't believe he had raised his hand to the king.

' _I need some wine.'_

He sat alone in his room staring at the clock as it slowly ticked closer to midnight.

11:45

Fifteen more minutes until the day was over and people would look passed him once again. The king wouldn't worry about his well-being and everything could go back to normal. Shadows danced along the walls from the lone candle sitting on his bedside table. The room was a modest one. Everyone in the king's service was given free room and board, Ignis' being a little nicer than a typical house servants.

He reached for the wine glass sitting nearby and sighed when he found it empty. The shame he felt in his knee jerk reaction to his king's inquiry burned deeper the more he thought about it. He hadn't meant to do it, and surely, had today been any other day, he would've been reprimanded, but he couldn't help it. He closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the bed.

 _A young boy sat a writing desk, furiously scribbling on a piece of paper in front of him. His eyes darted up to the clock above the door every few seconds willing it to move just a little bit faster. As soon as it hit midnight he jumped up and scrambled out of the room, tripping over his pajama pants in the process. He skidded to a halt when he hit the sitting room. His father had just returned home and was giving him a not so nice look._

" _H-hello uncle."_

" _Ignis," the man growled, "what are you doing out of bed at this hour? You have school in the morning."_

 _The boy looked down at his feet, wringing his hands together nervously._

" _It's February 7_ _th_ _today. I-it's a special d-day."_

 _The man snorted as he walked up to his nephew. "Special? Who told you that?"_

"… _Noctis…"_

 _He cried out as a hand grasped the collar of his night shirt and pulled him up roughly._

" _Prince Noctis," he hissed in the boy's face, "don't you dare refer to the Crown Prince as an equal, boy. He is above you in every way, don't you ever forget that. It is our duty to serve him and the King in any way we are needed. You're to become the prince's advisor, so all you need to worry about is studying. Study hard, keep your mouth shut and do as you're told. Do not bring unwanted attention to yourself. Do not become a burden to the royal family. Keep your emotions in check. Do you understand?"_

 _He shook Ignis as he asked that last question, the boys glasses falling off his face and landing on the ground below._

" _Y-yes s-sir."_

 _His uncle smiled at him then, though it contained no trace of happiness._

" _Good. Remember Ignis, you are not special. Your life is not your own. You are here to serve the prince. That is all."_

A sudden knock at his door startled Ignis out of his reverie. Glancing at the clock, he saw that it now showed 11:50. Ten more minutes.

He got up and answered the door warily, unsure of who would be calling upon him at this hour. He was shocked when he was confronted with a flushed Noctis. The prince stood in his doorway with his hands on his knees, breathing as if he had just run a marathon.

"Your Highness? What are you doing here?"

Noctis didn't answer right away, instead pulling a package out from underneath his arm. It was rectangular in shape and wrapped in brown paper. The prince looked up at him and smiled.

"I made it in time. Quick, open it before it hits midnight."

Ignis took the package and opened it slowly, eyes widening when he saw what was inside. A beautifully bound leather book sat before him, his name embroidered in a cursive script along the front cover. He flipped it open and saw that it was blank. It looked _very_ expensive.

"You Highness, I don't understand…"

Noctis stood up having finally caught his breath. He punched the taller man's arm playfully.

"Aw come on Iggy. It's a present. You can use it for your recipes and finally stop scribbling on that notepad of yours."

Ignis blinked, not quite understanding what was going on.

"A present? I can't accept this –"

"Nonsense," Noctis interrupted, his hand going to Ignis' shoulder just as the King's had earlier that day. "You're one of my best friends and today is a special day. I'm sorry it took me so long; the shop was much busier than I thought it would be."

Saying that Ignis was overwhelmed would be an understatement. His eyes darted from the book to the prince and back to the book again and suddenly he was unable to stop himself.

For the first time in years Ignis Scientia allowed himself to cry. It was only a single tear, but Noctis knew what it meant having grown up with the man. The prince pulled him into a hug as the clock struck midnight, signaling the end of a day that Ignis had always hated.

But maybe, in time, he'd learn to love it.

"Happy Birthday Ignis."


End file.
